Kansas City Mayor Sly James held a news conference on Monday morning to announce that he has declared a state of emergency for the city, reported KMBC-TV.

The mayor's office said the declaration makes it possible to fully access all possible resources during the snowstorm.

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"This declaration allows the city to keep crews on, add additional personal to battle the storm, waive administrative and budget routine requirements and collective bargaining agreements, so that we are able to meet public safety and transportation needs without undue delay," James said. "Essentially we're calling in everyone we can to help."

The State of Emergency went into effect at 9 a.m. and is in effect until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

"This storm has the potential to be quite serious, and we know it's going to dump somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 or more inches on Kansas City," James said.

The heaviest snow in the KC metro is expected overnight Monday into Tuesday.